Wimbledon's unsung heroes
Five young people talk about working behind the scenes at Wimbledon, demonstrating just how many people it takes 鈥 working across job sectors 鈥 to host a major sporting event.
RACHEL: This is the first summer that I've started working at Wimbledon in the grounds team. The grounds team are responsible for maintaining the courts. The mornings are probably our busiest time, so we'll mow two courts each, then we'll get them all ready and set up for the players, so nets up.
At first I was nervous about being one of the only girls on the groundstaff team, but as soon as I joined they've made me feel really welcome and I fitted right in. I didn't know how to use any of the machines, but I learnt it all just by shadowing the other staff members. You just need to have a good can-do attitude and a willingness to learn.
So at the moment for me this is a seasonal role, from April till October, but a lot of the staff members will come back year on year to help with the Championship preparations.
I'm proud to work at this job because I'm in charge of two Championship courts that'll potentially be on telly during the tournament, and I would like to make sure that they look their best for the two weeks.
JED: Oh my days鈥
So a press officer assistant is front of house for the media centre at Wimbledon. A typical day at the Championships could involve sorting out player transcripts and helping journalists, you know, find their allocated seats in the media part.
So at school I was really into sport and PE, and one of the subjects I actually was pretty good at was English. I kind of merged the two and got advised that maybe I could go into a career in sports journalism.
The biggest skills that you need to kind of have for this job is people skills. Most of this role is engaging with people from, you know, all over the world.
I love working at Wimbledon because the vibe here is really good. You know, everyone is super positive, you know, the fans, the players, the people who work here.
HOLLY: The players are worried about their serve, but I'm worried about the servers.
Some people think that IT is just sitting behind a desk staring at a screen, but quite a lot of it is going out, seeing people and fixing their problems.
Most people email us with help because they might have broken something on their laptop because they've dropped it, or they have forgotten their password, that's a very common one.
At school I did enjoy IT, but I didn't think I would carry it on. I thought I would do neuroscience at university. When it came to filling in my UCAS application I couldn't really think of anything to write as to why I wanted to study neuroscience, but I could think of loads of reasons why I wanted to study computer science.
I got into the University of Southampton. I loved the life I had there, I loved being independent and living away from home, but I just knew that I wanted to work. So I decided to leave after the first year and I ended up going back to the school that I went to to be their IT technician. Last year the job at Wimbledon came up, and I applied and got it.
During the Championships I definitely feel a massive sense of pride and satisfaction that I've helped create the event.
JOE: In my job, no two days are the same. I could be visiting a strawberry farm one day and then the next researching the heritage of some of our menus. During The Championships themselves a big part of my role is just walking the grounds, seeing the food and drink operations working, seeing how guests are interacting with them.
So at school I was really passionate about creative writing, and that has actually really been of great benefit in this job where a lot of the projects that I'm working on are to do with how we tell the story of food and drink.
When I was at school I didn't realise a role like this existed, but there's roles of this equivalent across a great many different types of things. So if you're into music there's roles like this for something like Glastonbury, other big sporting events.
ELEANOR: What else do I love? I'm trying not to be really nerdy!
If we're putting on a display, someone will ask me to look up the item on our database. This can range from tennis fashion to players' kits, their trainers that they wore while they were playing. I'll then go into the store, look out the item, make sure that it's in proper condition, and then I'll bring it up here and help put it on display.
We also have to move quite a few heavy boxes, using a lot of trolleys, manual labour, so it's not always glam putting the exhibitions on display.
When I was younger my parents took me to museums. That definitely sparked interest in history and preserving history for people to enjoy. So I studied History of Art at university, which got a lot of stick from my friends, but it was 'cause I was really passionate about museums and art. I then found out about having jobs in a museum through that.
One of the things I love about my job is seeing everyone come to the museum and enjoy the displays and exhibitions that we've worked hard behind the scenes to make happen.
JED: Just have actual knowledge of the sport and actually enjoy it. So if you love the sport then, you know, it won't really feel like a job.
JOE: Volunteering at events, you'll get experience talking to different groups of people and seeing how events operate.
ELEANOR: Give every opportunity a go. It might not seem like it's the right job for you at the time but actually the experience you'll gain from it will really help you in future and for those roles that you really want to have.
HOLLY: One of my top tips for working in IT is: if in doubt, always switch it off and on again!
Rachel: groundstaff
Rachel, 23, is part of Wimbledon's groundstaff team, maintaining tennis courts during The Championships. Rachel鈥檚 role includes mowing and maintaining the grass courts, putting out the nets and covering the courts in the event of rain. The groundstaff team also water the grass courts on hot days.
Rachel鈥檚 role is seasonal 鈥 she works on site from April to October. Many members of the team will come back to the role each year.
Rachel鈥檚 favourite subject at school was PE and she went on to study Sports Science at university. Rachel used to want to play football professionally. Unfortunately it didn鈥檛 work out and she decided that, for her, the next best career option would be working in the sports industry.
Rachel enjoys being part of the groundstaff team, as everyone comes together to help each other out, and get the tasks done.
I like the competitiveness of it 鈥 we all want our court to look the best so there鈥檚 an element of rivalry there.
Rachel's top tips
- Having a 鈥榗an do鈥 attitude is beneficial. To start with Rachel didn't know how to use the machines or tools, but she learnt by shadowing other people on the job
- Enjoying working outdoors is important 鈥 groundstaff work in all weathers
- It doesn't have to be Wimbledon 鈥 lots of sports require grounds maintenance staff, including football, rugby and golf.
Jed: press office assistant
Jed, 22, is a press office assistant, attending to the world's media during The Championships. Jed and the other members of his team are the first point of call for journalists at Wimbledon.
A typical day can involve helping journalists get online and navigate the computer system, directing them to the press seats on court and providing them with transcripts from player interviews.
For Jed this is a seasonal role, he's employed for three weeks 鈥 the Wimbledon qualifying week, and the two weeks of The Championships itself. Jed has been asked back to work at Wimbledon for the past three years.
Jed loves tennis and is interested in pursuing a career in sports journalism.
Journalism is a passion because there's always a need for it, there's always a story to be covered and the more journalists you have with different opinions, the better.
Jed's top tips
- People skills are really important in this role. Jed liaises with journalists from all over the world, all with different needs and requirements
- A passion for sport helps 鈥 not only does sporting knowledge help when assisting journalists, it also makes it feel like it isn't a job
- Jed found his university degree really useful 鈥 his lecturer had industry experience and knew which skills were necessary to succeed in the role.
Although a university degree helped Jed, it isn鈥檛 essential. You can find out about another pathway into journalism by checking out apprentice journalist Natasha's story.
Holly: IT support analyst
Holly, 26, is an IT support analyst working on site in an office at Wimbledon. It鈥檚 a full-time role, assisting colleagues with IT issues and requests such as installing computer software, assisting with forgotten passwords and fixing broken laptops.
Holly is on call to answer queries over the phone but she also travels around the grounds, going out to different areas to help colleagues resolve their IT issues.
Holly initially thought she wanted to study Neuroscience at university. She studied the relevant A-levels but, when it came to writing her UCAS statement she found it difficult 鈥 she couldn't think of why she wanted to study Neuroscience, but she could think of lots of reasons for wanting to study IT. She decided to change her course and went to university to study IT.
Whilst she loved the university lifestyle, being independent and making new friends, she didn't enjoy the course and wanted to start working. Holly left university early and returned to her old school to work as an IT technician.
The thing I like most about working here is the people 鈥 the site is massive and there are so many different members of staff.
Holly's top tips
- Patience and people skills are important 鈥 Holly spends time with people from different walks of life, all with varying degrees of IT knowledge. Colleagues come to her because something has gone wrong, so understandably they can be upset or annoyed
- Immerse yourself in the world of tech 鈥 technology is changing and updating all the time
- Don't be afraid to ask for help 鈥 it's OK to ask a senior colleague if you can't find a solution.
Eleanor: collections officer
Eleanor, 25, is a collections officer at Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum. It's a full-time role, involving processing items that come into the museum and assisting with creating new exhibition displays.
Day to day, Eleanor ensures the museum artefacts are properly cared for, catalogued and housed in the underground store.
During The Championships, Eleanor and her colleagues go out around the grounds to collect items that represent standout moments from the tournament 鈥 including homemade fan signs and iconic outfits worn by players 鈥 to document and display in the museum.
Eleanor's parents used to take her to museums and historic buildings, which fostered a love of history and preserving history for people to enjoy. She went on to study History of Art at university. After graduation, she found a temporary position at an archive in Edinburgh.
As a tennis fan and history enthusiast, this is the perfect role for me!
Eleanor's top tips
- Communication is key 鈥 you work with a broad range of people throughout the grounds and across the site, so it鈥檚 important to be able to work together and achieve a shared goal
- Management and organisational skills are important too 鈥 Eleanor's role involves balancing competing priorities
- When pursuing a career, take all the experiences and opportunities people offer you 鈥 a lot of the skills that you gain from volunteering or helping others are transferable and can really inform your career later on.
Joe: food and drink project planner
Joe, 25, has a full-time role which involves planning and managing projects around the food and drink experiences at Wimbledon.
Visitors to The Championships love to know where their food and drink comes from, the history and heritage of the items on the menu (especially the famous Wimbledon strawberries and cream), and how sustainably sourced the products are. It's Joe鈥檚 job to create information stands for visitors, providing them with this information.
Joe's role is varied 鈥 he might be visiting a strawberry farm to inspect the fruit, researching the heritage of one of the Wimbledon menus, or planning a new project in the office.
During The Championships Joe walks the grounds, looking at how visitors are interacting with his stands and monitoring the overall food and drink experience.
When I was younger, I didn't realise a role like this existed. But there are similar roles across industries鈥 If you're into music, there are roles like this at Glastonbury, different restaurant chains need people like me, as well as other big sporting events.
Joe's top tips
- Being able to communicate with lots of different people is very important
- When deciding on a career path, think about how you can combine passions 鈥 at school Joe loved English and sport, now he gets to combine the two
- Volunteering in hospitality or working at events can be useful for developing people skills and gaining industry experience.
Where next?
Quiz: Can you ace our Wimbledon quiz? quiz
Do you know why the players wear white, or how long the grass has to be before each match? Test your niche knowledge!
What's it like to be a ball girl or boy at Wimbledon?
The training and discipline required to be a valuable part of the tennis championship.
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